Qatar to host Rising Stars Asia Cup

The Qatar Cricket Association (QCA) will be playing hosts to the upcoming Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Rising Stars Asia Cup, earlier the Emerging Teams tournament, to be played in Doha from November 14 to 23 at the West-End International Cricket Stadium.

The T20 event will feature eight teams India A, Pakistan A, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Oman, UAE, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka. In this new format, full member nations will field their A teams, while associate nations will field their main teams.

QCA said the tournament will be open to public with ticketed entry.

Meanwhile, Jitesh Sharma has been named captain of the India A squad and Naman Dhir has been appointed his deputy. The selectors have also included 14-year-old IPL sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the squad.

Pakistan A and Oman will kick off the tournament, with the showpiece India A vs Pakistan A match slotted for November 16. The teams are divided into two groups: Group A has Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka, while Group B has India, Oman, Pakistan and UAE.

This will be the first cricketing exchange between the men’s teams of India and Pakistan since the senior Asia Cup in September, though the senior women’s teams faced off at the ODI World Cup earlier this month.

ACC Rising Stars Tournament Schedule:

Nov 14 – Oman vs Pakistan; India A vs UAE

Nov 15 – Bangladesh vs Hong Kong; Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka

Nov 16 – Oman vs UAE; India A vs Pakistan A

Nov 17 – Hong Kong vs Sri Lanka; Afghanistan vs Bangladesh

Nov 18 – Pakistan A vs UAE; India A vs Oman

Nov 19 – Afghanistan vs Hong Kong; Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka

Nov 21 – Semi-finals: A1 vs B2; B1 vs A2

Nov 23 – Final.